Three men involved in an attack which left a 31-year-old with severe facial injuries have been sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court.

Jamie Franklin Button, 35, of Old Road, Chatham, was given five years in prison, after pleading guilty to robbery, actual bodily harm and attempted theft, following the incident in February at Allington boatyard.

Bryan Cunningham, 22, of Gravel Walk, Rochester, who had pleaded guilty to theft and attempted theft, was sentenced to 330 days in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to serve 200 hours of community work.

Keith Wayne Hedley, 34, of Old Road, Chatham, had pleaded guilty to attempted theft and was given a nine month supervision order and curfew for 90 days.

The court had been shown CCTV footage of the attack, which happened at the gates to the boatyard while victim Adrian Larkin, who lived on site, was escorting the three to the entrance, after he found them trying to take a dinghy.

The footage showed Button punch Mr Larkin and kick him while he lay on the ground unconscious, before going through his pockets to take his wallet and mobile phone, with help from Cunningham. Mr Larkin suffered severe facial and head injuries.

Sentencing the three, Recorder Dafydd Enoch QC, said: "It was a chilling video to watch in my opinion."

Det Insp Kris Hill, who led the investigation, said: "I am very pleased that these men have been brought to justice for such a callous and senseless attack.

"I have been in the police force for 15 years and seldom have I witnessed such needless violence where the victim was just left for dead. We took the unusual step of releasing the entire CCTV footage of the incident at the start of the investigation, which aided us in the subsequent prosecution of the offenders and led to their guilty plea."

The victim’s father, Peter Larkin, said afterwards that he "wasn’t disappointed" with the sentences handed down to the three.

Mr Larkin thanked Kent Police and the public for their support following the incident, and, speaking of his son, said: "He is a courageous guy; he has proved himself to be a tough cookie. I like to think he has bounced back."